AATA Blog
AATA Sends Letter to New York Governor Hochul Urging her to Sign Law to Authorizing Licensed Creative Arts Therapists to bill Medicaid
Today, AATA sent a letter to New York Governor Hochul urging her to sign A9018/S8715 into law. The bill, originally passed by the state House and Senate in June, would authorize Licensed Creative Arts Therapists (LCAT) to bill Medicaid directly for their services. Despite being available since 2006, and over 2,000 LCATs currently practicing in the state, LCATs have been removed/excluded from 3 recent mental health expansion bills in New York State—a bill to mandate Medicaid coverage, a bill to expand diagnostic privilege, and most recently a bill to mandate blanket commercial health insurance coverage for psychotherapy.
New Americans for the Arts Survey Shows How Important the Arts are to People’s Lives and Communities
As discussions about the connection between arts and mental health continue to become more prevalent, the release of Americans for the Arts’ first public opinion survey since 2018, Americans Speak Out About the Arts (conducted in July of 2023), further underscores the importance of arts in both in communities and in individual emotional and physical wellbeing.
ACATE Announces Adoption of Revised CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Art Therapy
At its November meeting, the Board of Directors of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) approved the revisions to the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Art Therapy.
Prior to the Open Hearing held on September 24, ACATE reviewed the 57 comments that were received during the preceding public comment period. A significant number of those comments suggested changes in specific wording.
Great News from Virginia! Licensure Regulations have been Signed by the Governor
On Monday, November 18th, Governor Glenn Youngkin officially signed the art therapy licensure regulations. This long-awaited milestone marks a huge victory for art therapists and their supporters. A heartfelt thank you to every advocate who helped make this possible, from the initial legislative efforts to the relentless push for final approval. This success is a reminder of the power of perseverance—slow and steady truly wins the race!
Honoring Veterans Day, 2024
While art interventions have long been used with veterans and service members, increases in mental health issues make it more important than ever to highlight the work art therapists do to support these communities and their families.
Texas Art Therapists Advocate for Independent Licensure at the Capitol
By Jen McSparron MA, LPC, ATR-BC
On September 3rd, a dedicated group of Texas art therapists traveled to Austin to advocate for independent art therapy licensure in Texas. Armed with goodie bags filled with information about art therapy and existing programs across the state, the team visited various legislative offices, sharing their personal stories and highlighting the critical need for licensed art therapists.
Laura’s Story: Why We Need Therapy Licensure
By Bridget Pemberton-Smith, ATR-BC
I first got to know Laura when I was her internship site supervisor. Despite coming to the field later in her career, she was all in as an art therapist from the moment she started—and a passionate artist too! However, when she graduated from her art therapy program, she learned that recent changes to counselor licensure in our home state of North Carolina now prevented her from obtaining a license! Here’s her story.
How We Secured Licensure in Nebraska: Building Relationships
By Dr. Jessica Stallings, ATR-BC, LIMHP, LPC, LMHP
The Nebraska Art Therapy Licensure Coalition was created in 2017 when then recent social work graduate and soon-to-be George Washington post-Masters art therapy student Jenelle Miller asked a simple question: How one might go about securing licensure for art therapists in Nebraska? A conversation with AATA’s National Office team gave Jenelle the idea to approach Nebraskans from the Arts—and a coalition began to develop.
ACATE Proposed Standards Open for Comment
As part of the CAAHEP Standards development process, the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE) is inviting public comments on the proposed CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Art Therapy.
Why I’m Looking Forward to the AATA2024 In-person Conference: A Graduate Student’s POV
By Dejah M. Chapple, George Washington University Art Therapy Graduate Student and AATA National Office Intern
I wanted to share my experience about the conference, in case you are wondering whether it’s worth it to attend AATA2024 in Pittsburgh – or whether you belong there. Here’s a look at what I learned, who I met, and, of course, the overall vibe.